Sunday, 12 January 2014

The widely held perception that security
personnel aggravate conflicts while trying to quell armed violence is raising
very serious concerns to stakeholders in the international community. In view
of this, CLEEN Foundation, in conjunction with the Altus Global Alliance, is
bringing together security and governance experts in West Africa to exchange
opinions on a study carried out by Altus on
Conflicts and Security Governance in West Africa.
The occasion will be a three-day high profile Regional Conference on Security
and Governance in West Africa, which will hold at the New Chelsea Hotel in the
Central Business District, Abuja from January 14 to16, 2014.

The Executive Director of CLEEN Foundation,
Oluwakemi Okenyodo, has revealed that the research carried out by renowned experts
is likely to pave the way for a security blueprint for security interventions
in West African and other parts of the continent. “Over the years the
perception is that security personnel may have aggravated conflicts in the some
areas,” she says, “but the study also reveals that security personnel y have developed
good practices for security engagements in the region. As a result, a good
practice guide for security interventions in conflict zones will be distilled
from this research based on the findings of the Study and opinions elicited
from stakeholders in the conference.”

Participants for the conference will be drawn
from West African countries like Liberia,
Ghana, Niger
Republic, Nigeria,
Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso.
Dignitaries from the international community including the Economic Community
of West African States (ECOWAS), the UK Department for International
Development (DFID), the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed
Forces (DCAF), the African Security Sector Network (ASSN), and the Ford
Foundation, would also be in attendance.

The National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo
Dasuki (Rtd) is expected to deliver the keynote speech. The welcome address
will be delivered by the Chairperson of Altus Global Alliance, Dr Pramod Kumar,
while the Opening Remarks will be taken by the Regional Representative of Ford
Foundation, Mr Innocent Chukwuma. Several other papers would be delivered by
other participants in the conference.